Soupy soup soup

It's hard to tell if it's January or May in Denver, what with temps nearing 70 degrees this week.  But, hey, it's still winter and winter means soup.  Especially on Sunday.

This week was Corn Chowder from The Conscious Cook.

Da recipe:

Corn Chowder

Makes 6 servings

Sea salt

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups diced Vidalia onions

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice

1 celery stalk, cut into ¼-inch dice

1 red bell pepper, deribbed and cut into ¼-inch dice

1 dried chipotle pepper

5 cups faux chicken stock (try Better Than Bouillon's "vegetarian no chicken base")

2 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice

2 fresh thyme sprigs

Kernels from 6 ears of corn, plus 2 ears roasted or grilled corn

1½ cups thick Cashew Cream (see recipe below)

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons minced chives

½ cup diced tomato

1. Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Sprinkle the bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds, being careful not to let it smoke. This will create a nonstick effect.

2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and chipotle pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the stock, potatoes, and thyme, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. With the back of a spoon, smash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot and stir to thicken the soup. Add the raw corn and Cashew Cream, season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the chipotle pepper and thyme sprigs. Garnish with the chives, tomato, and roasted corn kernels.  

Thick Cashew Cream

Makes about 2¼ cups

1. Rinse 2 cups whole raw cashews (not pieces, which are often dry) very well under cold water.

2. Put the cashews in a bowl and add cold water to cover them. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

3. Drain the cashews and rinse under cold water.

4. Place nuts in a blender with enough fresh cold water to barely cover them. Blend on high for several minutes until very smooth. (If you're not using a professional high-speed blender such as a Vita-Mix, which creates an ultra-smooth cream, strain the cashew cream through a fine-mesh sieve.)

5. There will be approximately 3/4 of a cup of cashew cream left over from the recipe for you to use in another recipe.

Excerpted from The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen, compliments of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

The only thing I did differently with this recipe was to puree the soup after step 2.  I prefer my soup smoother rather than chunkier (at least in this instance) and I thought pureeing would help thicken.  I also added some cooked tempeh bacon as a garnish on top and it was a welcome (although not necessary) addition.  Great soup!  I haven't made this one in awhile and it was well worth the effort.